INGRESS PROTECTION

The terms degree of protection or IP tightness indicator indicate the degree to which the housing protects the active part of a device from foreign bodies as well as from the ingress of water into it.

Verification of certification shall be carried out in laboratories in accordance with specific procedures. These procedures follow the IEC 60529, so that they are always the same regardless of the product or the manufacturer.
The European standard IEC 60529 specifies how the enclosures should be positioned during the tests, the atmospheric conditions that should prevail, the size and dimensions of the different objects that can be used, and the correct distribution of water or dust to simulate actual operating conditions.

The density indicator shall consist of two digits which take specific values and inform the consumer of the certification of the product. If one of the digits has the X value then it means that it has not been checked for that protection. For example, we can meet a product with an IP65 indicator. These numbers indicate a specific certification for the product as to whether it is waterproof and protected.

The first digit indicates the degree of protection of the apparatus from penetration of solids such as soil, dust, etc. It also indicates the degree of protection against any human contact with electrophoric parts of the device. It takes values from 0 to 6.

The second digit indicates the degree of protection of the apparatus from water penetration. In practice, this figure must be greater than number 5 in order to be considered as a product suitable for external use. It takes values from 0 to 8.

The representation of the digits of the IP stiffness index is shown in the following image.